Xeon ducked into the dark wood and stone building to escape the incessant rain. Since Teridax had summoned the Great Being's power, the weather patterns had been strange. Xeon assumed it was just the Great Being's energy affecting the climate, but the paranoid part of him felt that it was Makuta.
The smell of dampness permeated everything, the soil was always damp and water sloshed into Xeon's boots. Despite the severe weather, it was sort of relaxing to the Magnetism Toa, but most beings disagreed.
Teridax, since gaining his power, had created the perfect apocalypse. He had taken dozens or hundreds of beings hostage, including Toa. The Rahkshi he was sending out were stronger, smarter and more numerous than ever before. The best hope for his defeat, Mata Nui, had been forced to take physical form and was kept as a prisoner atop the New Coliseum. Teridax seemed to be causing unspeakable horrors just for show, just to rub his victory in the Matoran's faces.
Objects of vast power were appearing and disappearing in the quest for something to defeat Teridax. His favorite new pawn, Varivix, was wreaking havoc and seemed able to go anywhere and everywhere.
Renegade greeted him at the door. "You're the last one."
Xeon just nodded, too tired from his fight with Rahkshi to speak. Teridax seemed to be draining their elemental powers. Renegade was not affected, but most everyone else was.
Renegade had begun the strategy of splitting into groups of tree. They would be more difficult targets and would be able to function better and make use of everyone's elemental powers. The third member of the group was Axera.
Axera, the being who had fought them and served Makuta, had been betrayed by Makuta. She had joined the Toa in the effort to fight him, even working excessively hard to work with Renegade, the most successful member of the resistors.
And they were few. Many of the Nuva had been captured after it was revealed that Tahu was actually an impostor and the real Tahu was captured moths before. That had been another factor in the choice to divide up; they had been unable to spot an impostor because there were so many Toa.
"Okay, here's what we know so far. Teridax has possession of the three Masks of Power, the Vahi, Ignika and Avohkii. His minions have managed to keep us from the Great Being's laboratories, as well as the Makuta's bases. He's stolen Nynrah Ghost technology, creating automated defenses. In summary, the situation stinks like a Muaka's dung." Renegade read from a tablet, though Xeon was pretty sure he made up the last sentence.
"Wait, the Avohkii as well? I thought Takanuva was protected by a dozen Vahki and the Mahri." Axera put in.
"He was." Xeon said shortly. "Jaller's Mask of Sonar saved his life, but one actually snatched the mask off his face. He's wearing a Hau now."
"So what are we doing about it?" Axera asked. She was adept with knives and had been itching to assassinate Rahkshi, Visorak and anything else she could get hold of. "Teridax betrayed me. I want him to pay."
"We have something." Renegade said. The other two looked at him; this was news to both. "A couple Matoran spelunkers found a Great Being lab. It may be our shot. At least we'll be able to destroy it and keep it from Makuta."
The practice of destroying the work of the Great Beings, Artahka and others was unpleasant but was slowing Makuta. His efforts to recreate the Mata Nui robot had been stymied by just such a strike, at the loss of Toa Rak's leg.
"But there's more. It's guarded heavily and they say Makuta are patrolling the area. It has metal fence, Nektann robots, automatic Midak Skyblasters, the whole nine bios." Renegade continued. "It'll be dangerous, but the score might be worth it."
-X-
"It's not worth it." Xeon said. Ever since losing his powers, he'd been more pessimistic than ever. In his home universe, he'd been able to fight enemies with his wits. But here, it wasn't as easy.
As Tuyet, his archenemy, had said, "Being more powerful doesn't make you right. It just raises the stakes." He hated to admit it, but she was right. The stakes were higher than ever.
The tree met with Renegade's contact, a cloaked Matoran. The long shadows from the spotlights obscured the Matoran's features.
"Here," the being said simply. They were ten yards from the guards and fence, but also in the back near a mountain. Nobody seemed to be watching.
Renegade found the hole. It was muddy, dark and somewhat claustrophobic, but it was better than nothing.
Xeon swung in headfirst, while Renegade stood above. He held his rifle in a ready position, rain splattering off his body from his bulky armored feet to his mask's 'eyebrows'. The green eyes peered out, floodlights casting his armor into sharp relief. He aimed at something in the distance.
Axera nodded to him, going after Xeon. She slid through the tunnel with some difficulty, as Xeon's armor had churned the layer of mud on the tunnel of rough, sometimes spiny stones.
Renegade's much bigger frame wouldn't even fit, so he used his sonic generators to simply pass through the tunnel. He arrived at the bottom wet but not muddy.
They were on the back of a column, which apparently contained the tunnel. It must have been a secret entrance of some sort.
'Or a last resort for escape.' Xeon thought, looking around the room.
The room was designed like a library, with stone sheets forming aisles. One could walk up and down the panels and read the glowing inscriptions on the bluish rock.
At least if there were time. But for now, they had none. The trio set to work in the eerily empty room, setting charges and wires. Each Magnetism user set off to one end of the room, while Renegade stood at the base of the ramp leading upward.
Nothing seemed to happen for ages. Finally, Xeon reappeared in the room's center, stringing the last of the explosives. Axera was using her weak Magnetism abilities to sort out the wires, making sure it would blast out the information but not kill them.
"The tunnel is too wet to string the wires, even with the insulation." Renegade said. The slightly chilly air seemed to grow colder; if they couldn't climb out they had practically no chance of surviving the blast. "We'll leave a corner intact." Renegade said, already trying to find a solution. "It'll be dangerous but it's our best shot."
Renegade had been reading the walls as he spoke, rapidly memorizing the text for later. He felt the worst about destroying the Great Being laboratories and information libraries, but saw no choice. If the Makuta unlocked the Great Being's technology as well as the power Teridax had, he would be practically immortal. Not that they had much of a shot of stopping him anyway, unfortunately.
Renegade sighed. They would be discovered any minute. Getting a last check from Xeon and Axera, he triggered the bombs.
The Great Being's writing faded. Time seemed to slow down as Renegade watched the stone, once full of information, lose its glow and explode. The fragments of rock flew outward, the entire cavern beginning to rumble.
Renegade felt the sinking feeling of something going wrong. The mud and rocks that were disturbed from them entering began to shift and slide. The column they had entered in let out a groaning rumble. With a sound like breaking glass, the weight of the disturbed mud and rocks in the column forced the side to break. A louder snap followed, and then the thunderous roar of the column breaking.
"Slag. That is not good." Xeon murmured.
"The entrance is blocked." Axera pointed out. Renegade hissed. He could become intangible, but he couldn't carry the other two with him.
"I'll get out and attack from the front. I'll try to distract the guards, maybe that will let you two escape unnoticed." Renegade said.
"No, wait. I think I see something." Xeon said.
"We don't have much time. What is it?" Axera asked.
Xeon didn't answer for a second. Instead, he concentrated with his elemental power, using his unique ability to 'feel' magnetic objects. At the same time he was pushing his Mask of Information to tell him what he was looking at.
"It's a weapon or sensor or something. My mask can't make heads or tails out of it because of how complicated it is though." Xeon said. He found that it was right beneath some rubble from the explosions. Shifting it aside, he found a strange lock. It looked like a circular puzzle, but it was too complex for him to guess at the solution. Again, his mask provided no help.
Renegade saw the puzzle, took a glance up the stairwell to see if anyone was coming, then set to work. He was shifting the parts so fast that Xeon couldn't track them.
Renegade's brain began to work out the puzzle, making observations and calculations that most beings' minds would not. He rapidly determined that it was a difficult sliding puzzle.
Muttering to himself, he made it halfway through the puzzle. "This will take too long." He hissed. Gripping the center of the wheel and channeling electric through his claw, he yanked, bending the door that the puzzle hid and creating a gap around the edge. Wrapping his claws around the newly exposed edge, he ripped the cover off altogether, servos and muscles straining as he did.
Dust fell into the hole. Renegade reached down, lifting the strange machine. "Xeon is right. No way to tell what this does." Renegade murmured. "Anyway. Let's go. Wait by the door for my signal."
Xeon knew full well that the signal would be the last thing several of the guards ever saw.
-X—
Renegade stalked silently over the slick rock. He was protected from the wetness and the chilly air by his full-body armor, but he could still see how dismal the weather was.
Reaching a ridge, he noted the shine of spotlights. He was directly above the Great Being laboratory, standing on the disguised roof. It looked the same as the other stone hills that jutted from the muddy earth.
He slid down the ridge, coming into full view of the defending group. He flipped out a pair of pistols, both designed for silent assassination. He didn't see the Rahkshi sniper until too late.
-X-
Xeon heard a crash outside the door. Moving quickly, he shoved the door open, receiving a blast of rain and wind. He ignored it and sprinted out, followed by Axera. Whipping out a dagger, he cut down a Rahkshi that was facing the other way. His sense of honor frequently conflicted with the reality of needing to survive, he found.
He turned around, suddenly noticing something. Too many enemies were watching him, preparing to strike. Then he saw Renegade, lying motionless in the rain and mud.
-X-
Renegade's mechanical armor came online in a flash, but he remained relaxed and kept all noise to a minimum. Xeon and Axera were outside, surrounded and outgunned.
Renegade picked out the Rahkshi sniper atop a thin metal scaffold. He abandoned the pretense of being dead, shooting the Rahkshi with one move. He swung his feet forward, pushing himself up with one hand until he was crouched. Then he leapt forward, electricity sizzling in both claws, and slammed into the Exo Toa. The electrical barrage did little, but his claws speared through the robot and forced it down.
Xeon and Axera had seen the movement. Xeon stabbed another Rahkshi, while Axera used one of her blades to spear the Exo Toa's head.
Unfortunately, they rapidly lost the element of surprise. With a jolt, Xeon noticed how quickly the Rahkshi reacted and how they formed into small groups for combat. They're smarter than the normal ones, Xeon thought. Trying to maintain the confusion, he charged one of the groups.
Xeon noticed the Rahkshi's lack of reaction a moment before he felt himself slipping. He maintained his balance for a moment before sliding sideways and down into the mud.
Renegade noticed Xeon fall and lobbed a grenade at the Rahkshi. One noticed and shot it out of the air with a hiss. The others locked their attention onto him.
Axera was faring little better with the Exo Toa. As one rained electric rockets on her, the other was trying to snatch her up in its claw.
Axera searched for the machine's head through the rain. With a flick of her wrist, she planted a dagger in each glass eye, blinding it. She spun and watched the other's claw fall towards her, but the robot didn't complete the grab. Its other arm was firing half a dozen electric rockets at her, one after the other as rapidly as possible. She dodged all but two, which took her in the shoulder and knee.
She fell to the ground, smoking and stunned from the electricity.
The machine stalked forward, arming another rocket. Suddenly Xeon jumped above it, appearing from who knew where, and fired electromagnetic pulses from both hands. The lights in the robot went dead and it sat stunned as Xeon landed on its shoulders.
An energy beam struck Xeon in the back. Before he could react, another caught him from one side. He stood for a moment, looking confused, before tumbling off the Exo Toa's body. He landed with a thudding clank.
Renegade appeared behind Axera, but something was wrong. Only his life support had any energy at all. He was moving the suit through the power of his own muscles.
He stooped to help her up. Just then, more energy rays appeared. One was fired by a Lerahk, the other by a Vorahk. Renegade shoved himself to the side, dragging Axera, and ducked the attack.
The two Rahkshi appeared overhead, flying with their staffs, and both landed gracefully by Xeon. They seemed unaware of Axera and Renegade. Axera noticed after a moment that they were mud-covered and in the shadows, while Xeon's blue armor shone in the rain and the full glare of the spotlight Renegade and Axera were outside of.
Renegade looked grim. Through his helmet, he said, "There's nothing we can do. Do not try to help him." Axera promptly ignored the advice and tried to stand. She was still suffering from the electric rockets though, and found she couldn't stand anyway. She was about to shout in anger as Xeon was dragged off, but Renegade placed a pistol against the back of her head.
"Nothing personal, but if you scream or even whisper too loud we'll be killed." Renegade hissed. "We need to move out while the guards are preoccupied, and remain free to try to get him back." Renegade's logic was sound, but even he disliked the idea of leaving Xeon behind.
Renegade forced himself and Axera to stand, Renegade being as quiet as possible without his armor. Using a small compass, Renegade dragged the two of them toward the small village where they had secured a rendezvous point with other Toa.
Renegade thought back to the weapon or whatever it was. He had a feeling he would need it soon.